A Christmas Playroom | Home Tour

Have you ever had (or have now) a room the is in-between every other room and serves multiple purposes? Rooms like that are some of the toughest to make a usable space out of; ours is about 90% done (still need a cool light) so I figured I would finally post it decorated for Christmas.

When we moved into our house we had a room at the top of the stairs, in the middle of all of the guest rooms. We had no kids yet, so it was the designated "man room". It was the one room Matt could put his posters and hunting decor in. It basically sat there, unused, with taupe walls and a beige hand-me-down couch that was ripping at the seams until we had baby #1. 

When we needed a nursery our office had to move to the man room. There was a niche that fit Matt's old garage sale desk perfectly. I loved the rough wood look of the desk, but took his childhood chair and painted it green to offset the wood. We also had some brown floating shelves that were moved next to the desk. When the walls were painted I took the white and painted the shelves, then added gold to the edges later.

 About 1.5 years ago I decided I was going to take that poor room into may own hands and start giving it a face lift. I installed a small chair rail and painted the walls white on the top and Benjamin Moore's Witching Hour on the bottom...while listening to reggae music and dreaming of a beach vacation. It made a HUGE difference in making the room feel larger and brighter! I will say that I wish I would've gone a little bit darker on the bottom, as this color can look slightly navy in certain light.  

I then tossed the couch and slowly started trying to make the room a usable playroom/man room/office. It really doesn't host the guys much, but I needed to leave up some of Matt's decor so he still feels like it's his house haha.

Then with baby #2 my large, brown Ikea shelf had to move out of the soon-to-be nursery. I didn't want it taking up precious wall space, so we used it as a divider. It felt so dark and heavy so I painted the outside white and it really helped to blend it with the walls. In order to make it toddler friendly we bought some threaded metal pipe and attached it to the wall, leaving a one foot gap in between the wall and shelf. We can now use the shelves from the room and the hallway, and the room feels like it's own space now rather than an extension of the hall.

There's a mix of man art and kid's art. I wanted to put a jack-a-lope in Julip's nursery but didn't want to pay so much for one. Then, I saw LayBabyLay's instagram with a paper mache one and found this tutorial to make it. I think Joni has since put up her own tutorial. 

Abram loves his Ikea table and chairs and his teepee that we got from Amazon. I added washi tape to the poles and some ribbon to the opening. I also took a small, useless table we inherited, cut it shorter, and attached a tray from Target to make it a usable side table with a little interest.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing it as we are enjoying actually being able to USE it! 

xo,

Nikki

Master Bedroom Refresh | Home Tour

       It is my firm belief that a home is always evolving, much like life, change is the only constant. It can take months to years to develop a room if you're on a budget. Our home was our first out of college; actually I was in my master's program for 3 of the 6 years we have been here. We started out with very little money, very little time, and lots of hand-me-down furniture. We were so grateful for the furniture our families gifted us, but started to infuse our personalities and sense of style little by little.

       Our master bedroom was the first room we painted when we moved in {can't find a pic of the before right now}. Honestly, if I could paint all my rooms every year I probably would, but Matt HATES to do it. Over time I have been trying to make our bedroom look put-together on a small budget since it is not seen by others often.  Right before I had Abram I did a refresh and then again before I had Julip. I still loved the golden color, but needed something to brighten up the room and add some interest to the "focal" wall.

 

              Some of the biggest challenges were creating a cohesive look with a mixture of pieces obtained at various times, and combining the masculine and feminine touches so that my husband feels like it is his room too. The picture above the bed is actually a Persian rug of the Iranian army from the past. Matt bought it on one of his trips to visit family in Iran before we ever lived together. For a while it resided in his "man room", but got kicked out when it had to become more of a play room.  Matt was a good sport and said it could go in storage, but I thought it would be nice to have something more grande over our bed. He was thrilled! It helps to balance out the floral elements and now I think of them as our personal army watching over us while we sleep. ;)

       All of our furniture and finishes have to stand up to kids and dogs. The bedding was something that was a real challenge for us since our 65 lb. hound dog sleeps with us. She has black hair than can show easily on white bedding, and anything too delicate gets beat up pretty quick. I know I know...we need to stop the bad habit, but we are softies. We found the turquoise quilt at Target and it was perfect! It can add a pop of color to the room, or be flipped to the other side for a fresh, textured white. I got the bench at Garden Ridge, in high school, when it had zebra fabric. I covered it with this faux leather my Senior year, and have been wanting to cover it again. Until I get the time, I settled with throwing this fur rug from Marshall's on top.

       The dresser was a craigslist find. I actually got it over another woman because the seller was so aggravated that the other woman kept shoving it in her face that she was a designer...shhh don't tell. I ended up telling her my secret when I picked it up and we had a good laugh. I got the bedside tables from Homegoods and they were two different colors. I painted them and changed out the knobs with some found at Hobby Lobby. The lamps and basket are also from Homegoods {a long time ago}, and the mirror is from Ikea.

       The white framed pictures are of our parents and grandparents wedding days. They were all framed for our wedding and were then put on our wall, along with my "key to my heart" graphic.

Still on the wish list:

- Another piece of bedding to layer with the quilt

- A possible rug to add some texture

- A different fan that adds some style

- Cover the bench

- Possibly cover the headboard

- Rearrange/add art to the dresser

 xo, Nikki

Nursery 2 Details

       This nursery was a guest room and the room where junk came to collect. I do everything on a budget so when I wasn't re-using pieces from Abram's nursery I tried to DIY or buy from discount stores. 

       We moved the full size bed into Abram's room with a new frame {his toddler room update is coming soon}, and moved his crib into the nursery.  I also used the glider we had in his room and shopped my house for other decor.

       I made a simple, faux suede skirt using the tutorial I had posted for the previous nursery. I also made the "make believe" print above the crib and will be posting a free printable of this one and another version on the blog soon.

Paint Color: Benjamin Moore "Creme de Mint"

Ceiling Fan: Modern Fan Company Halo Energy Smart Fan 
I really wanted a chandelier like this one from Ikea, but it was too long. Then I a few more options like this one from Etsy. We were going to do a separate table fan since the room is upstairs and it gets HOT in Texas. After doing some research and not feeling comfortable with the fans and little kid's fingers, we went with this modern fan. We LOVE it! You can barely tell it's a fan because of the way the blades are mounted.

Crib: Jenny Lind Davinci

Crib Sheets: Land of Nod
my alternate {not pictured}: Etsy

Pillow in Crib: H&M

Curtains: TJ Maxx

Curtain Rod: Ikea

Wooden Bird Feeder: Target

Glass Feather "Bubbles": Red Arrow

Flamingo in Boots Print: Etsy; in Ikea Frame

Don't Stop Make Believing Print: I made {diy coming soon}; frame from my house

Dance Party Print: Society 6; in Ikea Frame

Throw Blanket: Ikea

Frog Statue: TJ Maxx {also saw at Home Goods}

Wall-mounted cabinet: Ikea with one of these doors

Paper lining back of shelf: Paper Mojo adhered to some matte board and inserted behind the shelf.

Mirror: Inherited from my great grand parents with a bedroom set and painted it gold

Branches: Had in my house already, but similar at Hobby Lobby; butterflies from Hobby Lobby

Branch Container: Target

               

Basket on shelf: TJ Maxx

Alice in Wonderland Babylit Book: Amazon

Alice in Wonderland Hat: Etsy and I love that she can use it for dress up later.

Cup and saucer: Hobby Lobby and I will be replacing those with some handed down from Matt's grandmother.

Headband Container: Poppytalk for Target

Picture: Matt ordered the "Mother's Love" print from Kelli Murray and this came as a free gift {smaller than the one for sale}. I loved it so I framed it for our baby girl. {Frame from TJ Maxx}

Dresser: inherited from my Great Grandmother and was painted "Black Raspberry", from Benjamin Moore...original drawer pulls.

Changing Pad Cover: Target

Glider: Walmart

Fur rug: Marshall's

Pillow on the chair: I found on sale at Target for $5

Owl: a gift from my mom {from Pier One}

Beautiful Girl Print: Matt had to have this for her; from Hobby Lobby

Mermaid picture: I already had this in the guest room from Garden Ridge years and years ago.

Rocks in frames: When I was younger I was a HUGE rock collector. My box full of smaller rocks has been sitting in the attic for years, so I pulled it out and used some of my collection as the decor in some shadow box frames from Ikea.

Toy Baskets: I really wanted some type of toy baskets that weren't a typical shelf so I found some large candle holders at Garden Ridge, painted them gold, and mounted them sideways to the wall. They remind me of something you would see at the bottom of the ocean.

There you have it; Julip's nursery details! If there is something I missed feel free to email me!

xo,
Nikki

Don't Stop Make Believin' Nursery | Home Tour

       A full 6 weeks after having our little girl I finally "finished" her nursery. If you've seen my first nursery for our son, you know that I try to mix and match elements to allow the room to evolve so it is never really finished. I also don't love specific themes, just general ideas to give me direction. My son's nursery was all about adventure and being "wild and free". I seriously thought about doing a gender neutral nursery this time around, but quickly realized that this may be my only chance to be "girly".

       When I had just found out I was pregnant, and didn't know the sex, I walked into West Elm and fell in love with the displays of moss, butterflies, and lights. I didn't want a woodland themed nursery, but there was something so ethereal and imaginative about the feel the display created. I really wanted my daughter to use her imagination, so I thought of "make believe" as a general guide to help me in my decision process. Starting with an idea is sometimes harder than finding a piece of artwork or fabric. I knew I wanted a purple, mint, blush pink, white,and I was obsessed with a black and white dot patterned wallpaper so I made an inspiration board to get started.

       Matt would not let me wall paper so I started painting dots on the wall, in black {bigger than I originally wanted}. After we finished an entire coat I felt like the black was too harsh against the mint since I wanted the room to feel fresh. I decided to change them all to gold and to paint the dresser {inherited from my great grandmother} a dark, moody purple so it would pop.

       The nursery has a mermaid, a dancing bear, a prince frog, a flamingo in boots, toy baskets that remind me of something at the bottom of the ocean, a mad hatter hat, twinkle branches, feathers in "bubbles", a mirror on the wall, and rocks I collected as a kid.

Jenny Lind Crib

              Mixing pattern, texture, and several colors will allow me to transition things in and out as she grows. The song quote above the crib is not only a play on the "theme", but also ties into our Louisiana roots; the LSU band plays it at every football game. I think it all came together nicely and is girly enough without being "princess."

xo, Nikki

Backyard Progress | Outdoor Inspiration

I haven't shown many pics of our backyard because when we moved in it was horrid. Seriously. It was a slab of concrete, an ugly palm, and hot hot sun {no shade}. We never went out there.

A couple of years ago we made a flower bed by our master window with azaleas and a magnolia tree. Then, last fall we tackled the back corner flower bed. We added four trees that are still maturing, but will hopefully provide some shade. We cut down the palms and most of the holly bushes, and raised and completely replanted all new plants. Most have started to come back this spring and I am so anxious for them to fill in and give us some color!

On the agenda for this spring:

• Build the hard top gazebo we bought 
• Extend our porch with some pavers to give us a place for the gazebo and soon-to-be furniture
• Finish the rock border around the beds
• Get a sandbox
• Oh and yes, the house needs to be repainted, but that is on another to-do list. 

I am desparately trying to make our backyard a place we can enjoy as a family. If you follow me on pinterest you may have noticed that I have been pinning some outdoor inspiration like a mad woman. Here are some ways to liven up your backyard this summer:

Create some imaginative areas for kid's activities. I LOVE this playhouse...I actually love their whole house.

source

Spaces for gathering in the shade allow you to stay out without feeling too uncomfortable. I have always been obsessed with the back porch at the Hunted Interior. LOVE the live edge table and pops of color!

Find and group plants that give you some color at different times of the year; colorful leaves, flowers, berries, etc. I tried to do groupings in our backyard...verdict is still out on how well I did.

source

Shade and lighting...enough said. 

Oh and I have got to get my hands on a swinging chair or hammock. My grandmother offered me her 2 vintage swinging chairs and I cannot pick them up fast enough!

source

Weekend Project: Recovered Accent Chair

I inherited a fabulous bedroom set from my Great Grandparents after they passed away. I love love love the lines of the furniture, but the yellow-white color...not so much. I am trying my best to hold off on repainting most of it to not upset my grandmother {for now}, but the chair that came with the set needed some help asap.

It was nothing a can of gold spray paint and some cheery fabric couldn't fix. 

I would say that this tutorial is for a chair that has separate seat and back cushions.

Supplies Needed:

Chair

Spray paint {color of your choice}

Staple remover

Screwdriver

Staple Gun

Fabric {yardage depends on the size of your chair}

Trim of your choice

Hot glue gun

Approximate Time= 8 hours

Step 1:
Disassemble. If the assembly is complicated, photograph the pieces as you take them apart. I unscrewed the legs from the back and seat.

Step 2:
I went ahead and spray painted the first coat on the the legs so it could dry while I upholstered the fabric pieces.

Step 3:
My seat and back padding were in good condition, and my fabric was a neutral so I left it all on. BUT, if the fabric or padding are in poor condition, then you will need to take that apart and replace it. If not, just do what I did and use a staple gun to attach the fabric {pulling it tight so there are no wrinkles}.

Step 4:
If the paint is dry enough, apply a second coat of the spray paint.

Step 5:
I needed a trim piece to hide my staples so I found a rope type of trim and simply hot glued it into place.

Step 6: 
ASSEMBLE! Now have a seat and sip on something yummy...it is the weekend right?!

The hutch we were "Pregnant" with...Real Life DIY

Once upon a time, when I was just staying home with my little man our friends asked if I would refinish some furniture for them. Of course, I didn't hesitate to say yes...and 1 month later I landed myself a full-time design position. 

I still wanted to do the furniture, so we started with their hutch. It was an old wooden piece that was given to them and they just wanted to see if it could be spruced up to look a little more "Pottery Barn" and a little less "visiting grandma's". 

After sanding and dis-assembling everything it was time to prime. Matt had gotten me a paint sprayer for Mother's Day and we were pumped to try it out! It was amazing! It covered the piece so quickly and coated it so much better than a paint brush. I am now a big fan, but I will say for small projects I don't use it because there are so many parts to clean after each coat. Anyway we were thinking this would be done in no time.

Long story short, the paint was having trouble sticking in some places and it ended up taking us 2 coats of primer and about 3-4 coats of paint {w/ primer in it} to get it covered. We also had to deal with our work hours {we could only work on weekends} and the weather {can't paint in rain or below 60...and it was winter...not smart}. 

After the paint cured I lightly sanded the areas that would naturally get more wear to make it look distressed. I also painted the back wall of the display cabinet a light gray to compliment her walls. Then we clear coated and re-assembled; adding some glass knobs we found at Hobby Lobby.

After almost 9 months we could finally gift them their hutch...only weeks before her second baby was due! 

That, my friends, is real life DIY; some projects are wins and some are giant fails. Most of mine eventually end up as wins, but not before tons of tears and little fails along the way...don't give up! If you want any tips on our process or how to achieve this look, feel free to contact me by clicking the link at the top of the screen.

xo,
Nikki

D.I.Y. Updated Kitchen Cabinets (Part 2) | Home Tour

       When I ended part one I was still sulking in the corner of my kitchen, staring at my DIY disaster. Luckily, there is an easier alternative to sanding...PAINT! I have never been opposed to painted cabinets but since we already had all white appliances, white counter tops, and white-ish back splash...white was out of the question. I didn't want something as dark as black. I LOVE colorful cabinets, but {like most of my projects} I consider both my "style" and resale to a certain extent since I know this will not be our house forever. Then I saw a picture of this home online and became obsessed with how good the dark gray with white counter tops looked. I didn't want them to look too modern for our traditional/contemporary style home, so I decided I would used a glaze to give them a little of an "antiqued" look.

       We had already sanded, so we no longer needed to do that step....just degrease and wipe them down with a damp cloth. We were advised to use an oil-based paint because it is more durable. Little did I know that latex paints have made big steps over the years....

TIP 1: As you take off your doors/drawers, find a way to number them in order to make sure you know where to put them back. Also put all hardware in a ziplock bag to make sure it doesn't get lost in the D.I.Y. craziness.

TIP 2: If you are painting your cabinets white, use a primer and then latex paint...oil-based white paints tend to yellow over time.

       Our oil-based paint was much thicker than the oil-based primers I have used; it took FOREVER to dry because it was cold. The brush strokes and bubbles from the paint were also showing when dry. 

TIP 3: If you have access to a paint sprayer, it may be messier but is well worth it since it saves you time and you avoid brush strokes {although I am sure they come with other problems}...my mom informed me once our job was done that she had one...not cool Debbie.

TIP 4: To thin oil based paint or primer in the winter and extend its drying time in the summer use a product called, Penetrol...it worked wonders! We couldn't see out brushstrokes afterwards.

TIP 5: Do NOT shake oil-based paint/primer to mix it before painting! Shaking will cause the bubbles, while stirring it with the paint sticks leaves it much smoother.

       We taped up the cabinets and rolled the paint on with a small foam roller made for cabinets, and would then quickly go over it with a high quality brush to take out any bubbles and fill in the corners/cracks. After each use we would just throw the roller and clean the brush WELL with mineral spirits. I also wore a respirator mask and gloves because I found out I was pregnant half way through this project and was cleared by my doctor to paint that way. Lightly sand in-between the two coats with a 220 grit sand paper. 

TIP 6: Take your time and use good lighting so you can see and correct any mistakes BEFORE the paint dries. 

       Read the back of your paint can to see how long you need to wait between coats. If I could do it again, I would do 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of latex in the color of my choice {semi-gloss for a little shine or satin for a more matte finish; sanding in between coats}.

       For antiquing, I bought one container of clear glaze from Lowes and mixed the amount directed with a sample size of the Valspar "almost black" paint because my gray was so dark. I antiqued the creases of the cabinets, drawers, and trim using a triangular sponge and a dry cloth for wiping. 

TIP 7: The more glaze you mix with the paint, the thinner it will go on...the less glaze you use with the paint, the thicker it will go on and less it will wipe off.

TIP 8: Experiment glazing with a small section {maybe hidden} to see what affect you want...keep a damp cloth with you to wipe off immediately if you don't like it.    

       To cap it off and make sure everything stays in place, I did two coats of Polyurethane, in Satin finish...always put a clear coat on furniture and cabinets. 

TIP 9: Make sure the clear coat you choose does not yellow over time, especially if you are using white/light paint.

       To avoid the modern gray/chrome/white kitchen look, we chose a dark metal/copper drawer pull from Lowes...and I LOVE it! Done and will NEVER do it again...at least in this house. Hope this helps you in your future kitchen re-do's. Painting the cabinets is an in-expensive way to update your kitchen quickly.

Paint color: Walmart- Chimney Smoke- Satin

Glaze from Lowes mixed with a sample of customized black valspar paint

Polyurethane water-based clear coat in Satin

Cabinet pulls: from Lowes

Recommended primers: Zinsser Oil-based Primer (high odor though) OR

Kilz Oil-based Odorless Primer (less odor)...or you can use water-based

Recommended Clear Coats: (based on others tutorial recommendations) Varathane Interior Water-based Polyurethane

My Blog Commitment...

I have a lot of things on my plate right now...

       I am currently trying to find a "real person" job again...but while I do that {and just in case it doesn't fall from the heavens}...I am blogging, selling Rodan + Fields, starting a 24 Day Challenge {more about that later}, scheming about my dream career, painting paintings for the random people that want one every now and then, re-doing my house, re-finishing furniture for myself and others, and oh ya there is the small responsibility of raising my smiley, little boy!

      Part of me tells myself to start knocking things off my plate so I can be better at each, but I am doing each of those because they are all my passion at the moment.  Matt reads a ton of books {his night stand is starting to look like a library stack and I can't stand it}, and in one they said that if you dedicate your whole life to one thing alone {and identify yourself through it}, with no balance, whenever that "thing" changes or falls through, you can go through a major identity crisis.

That would be me....

       I was in design school for 8 years! 8 years people! I could be a freakin' doctor, but instead I am in an unstable field in a shaky economy! I am now realizing that the dreams that got me through school do not have to stay the same throughout my life. Dreams Evolve! So I'm continuing to figure out my next dream...

      I will always love design...ALWAYS! I am always thinking creatively, and Matt sometimes hates that. This brings me to my blog commitment...I have 2 chairs I got for $10 before I got pregnant. They have been sitting in my garage the whole time. My bff and I challenged each other to refinish a piece of furniture by the 15th of April. I'm pretty sure she did 2 pieces by then {with 2 kids}. I was able to clean up the chairs, then company came over and they were moved to the garage where they have sat for a week. I also have a bathroom wall to finish detailing.

One of her beautiful pieces

Lord help me!

       I started it almost 2 years ago and it is not finished. Honestly, I sort of want to redo the whole idea now, but Matt would chase me down the street with a wooden spoon if I did that!  So my blog commitment is to finish the bathroom and most of the chairs {besides the upholstered seat if it gives me trouble} within the next 2 weeks!

 My beautiful before chair...it stinks

Hold me accountable people! Man, just typing that makes me nervous.

I'm working smarter, not harder....

The Nursery Details

       If you don't remember, our nursery WAS our office/craft/junk collection room. It was half-finished {like a lot of our rooms} and we could barely walk into it by the end. We really didn't use it as an office much because it only had one small window and bad lighting.       I tried to D.I.Y. when it was worth the time/money, and when I wasn't creating it I was finding it in discount stores {Marshalls, Ross, Home Goods, etc.} or shopping other parts of my house. The DIY pieces in the room will get their own post soon! {glazing the dresser, painting the laminate shelf, making the no-sew crib skirt, disguising the ugly hanging lamp cord}

Paint Color: Sherwin Williams "Quietude" Ceiling Fan: Hunter fan from Lowes Curtains: Old Ikea linen curtains I had in my previous house. My mom and I found a striped fabric and she added a piece to the curtain to give it more interest.

Dresser: Craigslist find {along with a matching nightstand that wouldn't fit in the room right now}...it was already grey {I had every intention of painting a piece of furniture, but got lucky}, but I did glaze it to give it the antiqued/rustic look. Basket next to Dresser: Home Goods...and I am making it the diaper trashcan Glider:Walmart Pillow on Glider:Ikea Hanging Lamp: Ikea light and shade that was covered by my mom with some extra Amy Butler fabric I had laying around. I wrapped the cord in twine to hide the white and printed electrical numbers.

Rug: T.J. Maxx

Moose head:Ebay {painted white myself}..it was one like this "T" Art: Made by me with scrapbook paper Green and Yellow dog paintings:Logan Berard Paintings Clock: Matt's old clock from his childhood room Boy Art: Made by me using photoshop, modge podge, and a canvas Framed black dog picture: Made by me using an old photo and photoshop

Crib:Jenny Lind Davinci Toy Basket: Home Goods Navy Wild and Free Art: Made by me with burlap{tutorial coming soon} Hanging Planes: Vintage looking decor planes from Hobby Lobby...used fishing line and command hooks to attach to ceiling Drift Wood Mirror: Marshalls Sheets: Target Crib Skirt: Made by me using a plaid fabric from Hobby Lobby {tutorial coming soon} Pillows and animals in Crib: Gifts from friends/family or picked up from discount stores Orange Knitted Quilt: Made by my great grandmother before she passed away Brown Knitted Quilt: Target "I love you like" rag: This is actually a tea towel from a sweet woman on etsy...figured I could use it as a burp rag/decor

Book Shelve: An old laminate garage sale shelf that Matt used in college...updated with left over semi-gloss white paint and Benjamin Moore's "Cork" from other projects in my house. Humidifier:Crane Lamp on Shelf: Ikea {from years ago} Assorted pieces on shelve: pieces from our house and discount stores, pictures of us, knitted quilt from my great grandmother, LSU burp rags from a friend, assorted books and toys, and things from Louisiana... I tried to accessorize it with things that didn't cost much money and can easily be removed to make room for his items later in life.